Our first case study, Mr Pharrell Williams, the recently appointed creative director of Louis Vuitton, who now has the critical eyes of the fashion world fixed on his every move. After keeping his image consistent for the past few decades, the poreless 50-year-old recently switched things up and has grown a lampshade moustache worthy of 1970s cop cosplay.

This month, at the Sacai show at Paris Fashion Week, Williams took that flouncy tache and paired it with a double-breasted denim suit. This was brave. Double-breasted jackets have enjoyed something of a casualisation over the past few seasons thanks to streetwise brands such as Our Legacy and Fear of God selling them alongside baggy jeans and sweatpants. But to see one in denim? Screwball, yes, but on Williams… actually quite convincing.

There are, of course, easier, more realistic ways to wear denim on denim that don’t involve such bold sartorial risks. Take the jacket and jeans worn by the perpetually grinning playwright and man about town Mr Jeremy O Harris. See how the crisp inky darkness of that denim shirt spills over a slightly more muted pair of jeans? This is what the French call en camaïeu, and refers to two similar (but not quite the same) colours worn together to create an almost gradient effect – a handy styling tip when considering what shades of denim to wear together.

Throw on a louche pair of suede slippers, party-ready sunglasses and a tiny handbag (a studied Harris staple) and double denim becomes less the kind of thing you’d see on a Bible Belt farmhand and more the uniform of a dandyish urbanite with an enviable social calendar. No wonder Harris always looks so happy.

It also helps that the cowboy is enjoying an ongoing renaissance in menswear (think subtle Cuban heels and the odd bolo tie), which means denim has taken on a newly stylish relevance in the past couple of seasons. Full denim looks were on regular display at the men’s AW23 collections, and showed up in doubled-up looks at A.P.C. and Casablanca – and oversized at Balenciaga and VETEMENTS. It feels good for the moment because it’s casual and chilled out, but also coordinated and put-together, ie, the thing we should all aim to be when dressing ourselves: thoughtful.

Back in the real world, the actor Mr Evan Mock, no stranger to trendsetting (his bleached buzzcut has launched a thousand imitations), was pictured at New York Fashion Week in September wearing a double-denim trucker jacket and jeans. Another inspiration came courtesy of the British-Korean artist Mr Sang Woo Kim, who sported a floral-cuffed indigo setup to an art opening in London this month.

The simplest double-denim look we found to replicate, however, was worn by Mr David Yang, a 30-year-old model with rakishly fluffy hair. Yang’s got height and bone structure on his side, sure, but he makes a convincing case here for the most classic double-denim pairing of a mid-wash jacket and jeans. Note how everything fits just so – nothing oversized and nothing tight, while the slight gloss on the leather boots and bag work to elevate the overall look. Timberlake territory successfully swerved.